President Tran Dai Quang praised the role played by the coast guard force in protecting national sovereignty over sea and islands during a pre-Tet visit to the Coast Guard Zone 3 High Command in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on January 30.

Talking with the officers and soldiers, the President said the marine police force have performed well its tasks in helping the Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry propose to the Party and the State timely and accurate policies and solutions to handling complicated incidents at sea, contributing to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national development.

The President also lauded the force’s good work in monitoring the operation of foreign vessels and protecting maritime economic activities, as well as in the fight against smuggling and trade fraud, and rescue operations at sea.

He asked the marine police force and the Coast Guard Zone 3 to continue monitoring the situation in close coordination with the navy, border guard, coastal military zones, and all-level Party Committees and authorities, especially in supervising foreign ships and uncovering plots and activities of hostile forces and criminals.

President Quang also asked the marine police force to step up international cooperation, exchange information about violations of Vietnam’s waters with their counterparts through hotlines, and keep close monitoring of the operation of Vietnamese ships abroad. He told the force to prevent ships in the blacklist of the UN Security Council anchoring at Vietnam’s seaports.

In 2017, the Coast Guard Zone 3 received 934 Vietnamese fishermen from Indonesia who had been captured for illegal fishing in the country’s waters.

In November, the unit also rescued 52 people stranded on islands and offshore fishing farms during typhoon Damrey.

On this occasion, President Quang visited and presented gifts to families of social welfare policies in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.